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Deans tinkers with combinations, adding Red to green and gold backs
GREG GROWDEN CHIEF RUGBY CORRESPONDENT
July 15, 2010
Switch? ... David Pocock Photo: Getty Images
THE Wallabies' guessing game continued when the Queensland Reds attacking midfield was given its chance to impress and flanker David Pocock scrummaged at No.8 during yesterday's training session.
Wallabies coach Robbie Deans can never be accused of being a conservative selector, using this week's camp to try out vastly different combinations at training, while he has been assessing whether several newcomers, including Reds inside-centre Anthony Faingaa, are ready to be promoted to Tri Nations starting-XV status next week.
Although Deans repeatedly changed his combinations at Rushcutters Bay yesterday, to keep both players and onlookers bamboozled, the Queensland midfield of halfback Will Genia, five-eighth Quade Cooper and centre Faingaa spent a long period of the opposed session together, with Cameron Shepherd, James O'Connor and Kurtley Beale acting as the back three.
This should not be taken to be the back line to play the Springboks in Brisbane on July 24, as Adam Ashley-Cooper is certain to be in the Test line-up somewhere, probably at fullback. And leaving out centre Matt Giteau would be a big call. Then again, Deans did initially drop Drew Mitchell, the other senior Wallabies attacking player, from the Tri Nations squad.
It is clear Deans is intrigued by the Reds attacking partnership, yesterday seeing how they fared against a formidable opposing defensive midfield of Berrick Barnes, Giteau and Ashley-Cooper.
Deans has high hopes for Faingaa, while Shepherd may be the one to move into the squad and take a vacant Test wing spot, as he would bring size to the back line, as well as competent skills under the high ball. As Shepherd is also a capable goalkicker, it enables the Wallabies to play three fullbacks in their back three - operating alongside Ashley-Cooper, O'Connor or Beale. The Wallabies worked hard on their scrummaging yesterday, where they also used different combinations, in particular the back row. Pocock sometimes packed down at No.8 during the scrums, which could lead to Rocky Elsom and newcomer Scott Higginbotham used on the side of the pack in a revamped Test back row.
Benn Robinson, returning from a broken hand, showed he was ready for his first Test of the season by being involved in all of the training. The loose-head prop said to ensure he was match fit he would play for Eastwood against West Harbour at Concord Oval on Saturday. He expects to be scrummaging against former Wallaby prop Rodney Blake, even though West Harbour yesterday did not name him in their line-up. Other Wallabies Tri Nations squad members who will play Sydney club football this weekend are Ashley-Cooper, Beale, Matt Hodgson and Shepherd, while Cooper and Genia are expected to appear in the Brisbane club ranks. Amid all the doubts over the actual make-up of the Test back line, Cooper is certain to be the Test five-eighth, which will allow him to start for the first time against the Springboks, as his two previous appearances were off the bench. Cooper, who missed the first two days of the camp as he was in New Zealand attending a family funeral, has never played in a Wallabies-All Blacks Test.
''It's not daunting. It's exciting. Hopefully we can now go out and play the game even better,'' Cooper said.
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/un...714-10b4m.html
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